Aggie Soccer opens the home portion of their schedule on Saturday at 7PM as they face another top ten team in the Clemson Tigers. Clemson carries into this matchup a #9 national ranking.
Clemson opened their season with a pair of cupcakes, which they DEVOURED. The Tigers began with an 8-0 home win over Saint Francis followed by a 4-0 win over Loyola (Maryland). Saint Francis managed 4 shots and 2 shots on goal while Clemson held Loyola without a single shot. The Aggies are one of three SEC teams on Clemson's schedule before they begin the ACC gauntlet.
Last season, Clemson went 12-5-2 overall with a 5-3 mark in ACC play. In the NCAA Tournament, they advanced to the Elite Eight, but narrowly lost to eventual national champion Santa Clara.
Megan Bornkamp (#24) is the player to watch for the Tigers. The sophomore midfielder netted a team high 8 goals last season and already has 3 goals this year. Bornkamp was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for the 2021 season.
Senior Hensley Hancuff returns as the Tigers' goalkeeper this year. She took hold of the position last season after transferring from Villanova. She totalled 97 saves last year and ranked first in the ACC in save percentage. Hancuff was named the Preseason All-ACC Goalkeeper. So far this season, Hancuff has only had to make 1 save.
Texas A&M has faced Clemson in soccer twice before, splitting the series. Both of the previous matches came in College Station. The Aggies won the 1995 match 4-1 and dropped the 2004 match 1-4. This game should be a bit more competitive than those previous matches.
The Aggies' road gets easier after this match, but this is a game that A&M really needs to win for morale and for RPI implications. Regardless of the level of competition and narrow losing margins, starting 0-3 would be tough to stomach. And this is a winnable game for the Aggies, especially at home in front of a packed house of rabid fish campers. It's time to get in the win column.
Like the majority of our games, tomorrow's match will be available to stream on SEC+
Clemson opened their season with a pair of cupcakes, which they DEVOURED. The Tigers began with an 8-0 home win over Saint Francis followed by a 4-0 win over Loyola (Maryland). Saint Francis managed 4 shots and 2 shots on goal while Clemson held Loyola without a single shot. The Aggies are one of three SEC teams on Clemson's schedule before they begin the ACC gauntlet.
Last season, Clemson went 12-5-2 overall with a 5-3 mark in ACC play. In the NCAA Tournament, they advanced to the Elite Eight, but narrowly lost to eventual national champion Santa Clara.
Megan Bornkamp (#24) is the player to watch for the Tigers. The sophomore midfielder netted a team high 8 goals last season and already has 3 goals this year. Bornkamp was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for the 2021 season.
Senior Hensley Hancuff returns as the Tigers' goalkeeper this year. She took hold of the position last season after transferring from Villanova. She totalled 97 saves last year and ranked first in the ACC in save percentage. Hancuff was named the Preseason All-ACC Goalkeeper. So far this season, Hancuff has only had to make 1 save.
Texas A&M has faced Clemson in soccer twice before, splitting the series. Both of the previous matches came in College Station. The Aggies won the 1995 match 4-1 and dropped the 2004 match 1-4. This game should be a bit more competitive than those previous matches.
The Aggies' road gets easier after this match, but this is a game that A&M really needs to win for morale and for RPI implications. Regardless of the level of competition and narrow losing margins, starting 0-3 would be tough to stomach. And this is a winnable game for the Aggies, especially at home in front of a packed house of rabid fish campers. It's time to get in the win column.
Like the majority of our games, tomorrow's match will be available to stream on SEC+
